Tag Archives: stock

I was cleaning up the ole WordPress today and ran across this dusty draft in my backlog. How it is possible to forget such a yummy recipe – especially one that involves not one but two types of soup – is beyond me. Let’s remedy that, shall we?

templeofthai.com

This is 2-for-1 in that it is The Chef’s recipe for both Shrimp StockandTom Yum Soup. Usually, if you don’t have the time or patience to make your stock, you can buy it; but the ingredient list on this sucker makes me think you should go traditional or go home.

And I’d wager that the flavor will be well worth it. Tom Yum is spicy, brothy Asian goodness, and the longer it simmers and permeates your house, the better it will be when you finally slurp it down.

How about this beautiful autumn weather, nummy? It’s balmy and breezy and cool and simply delightful outside, no?

Actually, no; it is not. It’s going to be 88 degrees in Nashville this afternoon, and I just spent my lunch hour sweating through my long-sleeved shirt on the Calypso patio, so we Southerners still have a ways to go, as they say.

behindtheskillet.blogspot.com

Nonetheless, it was 67 degrees when I left the house this morning and we even managed to cook out last night without me throwing up from the humidity. Also, we’ve gotten to watch The Vols play football – and actually win, no less – two Saturdays in a row, so I say it’s fall, dad-gummit.

In that vein, we’re gonna kick things off with a roasted veggie stock that can serve as the base for any seasonal soup you like. Roasting the veggies is super easy but will give you much more depth of flavor* than just doing a basic broth, so don’t go cutting corners.

Remove veggies to a stockpot, then deglaze the hot roasting pan by adding 1 cup of water.

Scrape up any browned bits, then add the liquid to the post along with 6 cups of cold water and the thyme sprigs.

Simmer gently uncovered for 1 hour. Strain and store. Or use immediately to make The Chef’s Tortilla Soup. Easy and delish.

*Depth of flavor is my one bit of pretentious kitchen-speak for this post. We may have been out of the blogging game for a while, but that doesn’t mean the Cooking Channel hasn’t been playing on an obnoxious loop in the background of our lives the whole time. Osmosis, baby,

I know what you’re thinking: that is one high-falutin’ recipe title right there. It sounds like something Frasier & Niles might eat and something you straight can’t afford. (I’ve neglected Frasier references for some time now, and as a Cheers cast member and spin-off star in his own right, that simply has to be remedied.)

In any case, I bought osso buco – Italian for “bone with a hole” – from the friendly Newman Farm folks at the Memphis Farmers Market, and I had absolutely no idea what it was. (I was aiming for pork belly, but the smallest portion they had was 11 pounds, and even on my fattest of days I might lose the battle against that much pork.)

The Chef later informed me that osso buco is simply a veal shank, meaning baby cow’s leg (which is obviously super sad but also pretty delicious – sorry PETA!). We braised this sucker for 3 hours, and it eventually fell right off the bone like the books say. Moo!

This is the less-creamy, more tangy version of your standard coconut rice. Lemongrass and ginger are always fun. Plus you get to infuse something here, and that makes everyone feel much more culinarily-empowered.

I have been neglecting m’boy Wikipedia for a while now, and that stops here. The ‘pedia tells me that “picatta” just means “to be pounded flat” in Italian. And I like that.

Not only because these little suckers will fry up right nice because they are flat and even all over but also because you get to use that tiny little mallet to work out some of your aggression. That little hammer is somehow adorable and violent all at once, and I always imagine a furious little Leprechaun-lumberjack using it. And that clearly makes me happy.

My love affair with broth is almost as well-documented (and maligned) as my common law marriage to pickle juice, so this post is a foregone conclusion. The Chef made this just the other day “for fun” (a reason I obviously gave him crap for but secretly was super pleased with).

He points out that the 24-hour cooking time provides the added bonus of making the house smell amazing, and that is definitely true. Plus it freezes well, so he suggests you make a, shall we say, “boat”load? Sure. Boatload. Make that much.

Despite The Chef’s unfortunate aversion to making standard, run-of-the-mill soups, I whined enough to finally get him to make me some tortilla. And it was anything but standard. I even got his brother-in-law JR to back me up on the fabulosity of this, so maybe that will give me some leverage when I beg him to make it again.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add all of veggies except tomatoes. Cook until soft and caramelized (this is the most important part of making this soup right).

Then add tomatoes, stock, chili powder, and cumin. Simmer for about an hour.

Then add chicken, heat through, and serve. Garnish with fried tortilla strips, chopped cilantro, a squirt of a lime, and sliced avocados.

I also dose this up with some shredded Mexi cheese, but that’s your judgment call to make. The Chef’s Mexican Crema would also be a welcome addition. This soup becomes even nummier after a few days, so make enough to munch on all week.